Code Lyoko drabbles
by mandaree1
Summary: title says all. mostly Ulrich centric. normal pairings, DISCLAIMER I OWN NOTHING. no flames! mostly fluff!
1. the forest

**Read and review! No flames!** **This is Pre-Xana awakens. Ulrich is just going to the school a few months before it starts to have a look around.**

"I'm thankful you have accepted my son's application to Kadiac academy."

So is Ulrich. Here he can stay away from his father and not have to eventually go home. No more yelling matches, no having to run out of the house, no more sleeping on a gritty fire escape somewhere when he wanted to be alone for the night. Now, if he could only keep his grades up...

Now he's sitting uncomfortable in an office, squished between his mother and father. It smells vaguely like cinnamon. He keeps his head down and eyes fixated on the floor. He's not interested in conversation; he's interested in sulking places.

Ever since he was old enough to walk, he's always had one. A place to hide when his father got mad (which was, sadly, often), or to hide when he didn't want to be around others. Cupboards, attics, tree houses, etc. His last place was the fire escape of a ratty old motel a few miles away from where they lived. The workers were so used to his presence they'd let food out for him every night, much like you would a stray animal.

The guests complained almost nightly of his presence (he would too if he found a stray person outside their window) but the people just laughed them off. It wouldn't surprise him if they'd lost business because of him, but he needed a place to cool off.

The night before going to the acceptance meeting he'd left a note on the escape stating he wouldn't be back and to thank them for the food. That way they didn't waster extra food that could be served to people staying there.

He glances to his left. Father was talking, yet he couldn't hear the words. His face is tense, eyes ablaze. It was the look he had when someone was putting up a political debate that had intelligence in it. The look of interest, the look of competition.

A glance to his right. Mother is leaning back in her seat and fiddling with her purse, she is obviously as bored as he is.

He could never understand why his father and mother married. He was political, a perfectionist. She was light and feminine, always wearing makeup and dresses (unless in court), she liked buying things like expensive shoes and purses, driving his father into fits. Leading to huge arguments (they were good lawyers, so they both had amazing arguments), driving him out of the house just to get some peace and quiet.

"How does that sound, Ulrich?" the principal (for the life of him he couldn't remember his name) asked, drawing him out of his reverie. Ulrich looks around a moment, before sheepishly saying.

"I'm sorry sir; I didn't hear what you said."

His father 'hmphs' and he knows he's going to get a lecture later.

"Ah, that's alright" the principal amends "I asked if you would like to explore our ground while your parents and I finish up our business."

Hmm… that wasn't much of a quandary, even for him. Sit here and be stuck as well as bored, or go looking around the large grounds he would soon be living in. there was no contest.

He nodded, before standing up and walking out, hands in his pockets.

The academy itself was interesting, with many twists and turns in its halls, but what caught Ulrich's attention wasn't the school, but the forest surrounding it.

Walking through the entrance, it feels almost like second nature as he slips through the bushes blocking his path.

Bird and crickets chirped, animals rustles, trees swayed, it was like steeping into a new world. The deeper he went, the more relaxed he became. Eventually he came upon large oak tree; the wood was smooth, with high, thick, branches. Following and instincts, he started climbing, ignoring the familiar rush of dizziness, climbing as high as his vertigo would allow him.

Looking out onto the trees below, Ulrich felt a feeling of comfort and peace akin to the fire escape of the motel he'd slept on for weeks on end.

Ulrich smiled for the first time that day. He'd found his hiding place.

**Ulrich wouldn't know about Xana or the others at the time, so he would be more worried about schooling then Lyoko at the time. Read and review!**


	2. Without a Word

**This happens a little while after Xana awakens, before teddyzilla, more like In between, a little while after they started looking out for each other. My disclaimer's in the title.**

Until the team actually started looking out for each other, they'd never realized how much Ulrich took every day without a word.

Ulrich was a silent warrior, that much was obvious. He had a temper, but used most of his self-control keeping it at bay. He saved his emotions for the fight, that's just how he was.

It had all started in Mr. Chardin's art class, when he passed back a test he'd had them take at the beginning of the year.

"A, A, D, C, A plus for you Jeremie." He glanced down at the paper in his hand and smiled cruelly. "Ah, Mr. Stern, my _favorite_ student." Jeremie noticed Ulrich tense at the sarcasm in the man's voice. "yet another F." he tutted as he placed the paper on his desk with a resounding _slap _"I believe it should be appropriate to inform you, being the athlete you are, that military sign-ups are both free and a good excuse to back out while your behind." The class roared in laughter as Ulrich glared at the man for a moment before looking over the wrong questions. In the end, it was Jeremie who was mad, while Ulrich was quiet.

Jeremie knew Ulrich didn't mean to get bad grades, and it wasn't like he was stupid. He was very smart in all reality and even tactical when he needed to be. He just didn't understand the material given to him.

Yet Ulrich took the insult without a single word.

Then, at gym, while Odd and Ulrich had been getting dressed, someone came up behind him with a bottle full of water and dunked its contents onto ulrichs head, running away before either of the lyoko warriors could register a face.

Once again, everyone in the room burst out in laughter. While Odd tried to ruthlessly defend him, Ulrich just silently pulled out a towel and started drying off. No anger, no yelling, no nothing. He just walked away without a single word.

That day at lunch Jeremie and Odd had explained what had occurred to a shocked Yumi. None of them knew Ulrich could keep so calm. They knew they wouldn't have been calm.

Yet Ulrich took it… without a single word.

That day, when Xana attacked, Ulrich fought so harshly and angrily that he could have taken out armies of tanks all on his own. The enemy had no chance that day; it would have been like a ticking time bomb.

He took it silently… but that didn't mean he didn't get hurt.

But this was Ulrich. Ulrich the silent, proud warrior. He'd never fight anyone who couldn't defend themselves. So he didn't fight back, he used his anger to fuel his rage against Xana.

In the end, silent was all he could be.

**Short I know, but oh well. Read and review!**


	3. How Far Would You Go?

**Read and review! My disclaimers in the title. This is set sometime in the lyoko series. And I know that when the others do a return to the past, they lose any injuries they may have had, so just pretend.**

"That was too close Ulrich" Jeremie scolded as he wrapped the bandages around Ulrich's chest, silently hoping internally that he wouldn't get an infection.

Today had been hectic, to say the least. A math test, Sissi pestering them about Ulrich, and then a Xana attack. It'd taken control of the nearby kitchens, forcing them to fight by flinging weapons at them with little or no tactic. While Odd and Yumi had gone into Lyoko and fought off krabs and tanks, Ulrich had been left to his own devices to fight off the onslaught of knives and tenderizing mallets to protect Sissi, whom had followed Ulrich into the kitchens to see what the commotion was with her crush.

All had gone well and the tower had been deactivated…. But not before Ulrich sustained a severe slash mark onto his chest. It wasn't fatal, but it would definitely scar.

Knowing just how many eyebrows would be raised if they'd gone to the nurse, Odd had snuck in and stolen the alcohol and bandages, and hoped that Jeremie knew what he was doing. Then he'd tip-toed off the bed, knowing full well that it'd be bad enough if Jim found Ulrich up, but it would be plain suspicious if they were both hanging around Jeremie's dorm.

"You could have killed yourself" he says. Ulrich says nothing, and flinches when the alcohol comes in contact with the wound, but quickly relaxes.

"It had to be done." The first words he's spoken since they'd started worrying over them, and they couldn't be the words Jeremie was looking for. Jeremie had hoped for painful-whimpers, complaining, maybe even joking. _Something_ that showed he regretted what he'd done, all the worry he'd put them through and all the pain he had to be feeling. But instead all he got was selflessness.

You should be used to it by now, Jeremie reminds himself, this _is_ Ulrich stern you're talking to.

"You do realize this was Sissi you were protecting, right?" he had to be sure that he didn't have a concussion "annoying, bossy, scheming Sissi? I could understand if it was Yumi, but _seriously_, Sissi?"

He knows he must sound like a jerk. He knows he must sound cruel. But he just wants a reaction out of his quiet companion, a reaction that tells him he won't have to worry about Ulrich going off and getting himself killed for the sake of another.

Ulrich was silent throughout his rant, but the look of determination in his eyes did not waver. "It doesn't matter who it was."

Jeremie sighed, and started wrapping the wound. How could you explain something like this to a person like Ulrich? "What matters if that if you died. You would have died for something as stupid as lyoko, died for nothing…" his voice is a hoarse whisper, and he tries to leave the tears in his eyes unshed. Why didn't he understand? It wasn't that hard to process.

Ulrich stopped Jeremie's hand with his own; leaving it in the middle of the closing wound "this..." he pressed the palm firmly to the soon-to-scar scratch "means nothing to me. If I had to choose how I would die, it would be for Lyoko. For my friends. For Alieta" he smiled at the mention of the girl he was brotherly with. "It's better than dying in a gutter old, broke, and alone. You, Odd, Yumi, and Alieta are my friends, and I would do anything for my friends." He never once broke eye-contact with Jeremie during this confession. The passion and care from them almost knocked Jeremie off his feet. He'd never seen Ulrich like this before.

"Besides, no one would miss me. I'd rather die a hero, and unmissed, even if it was on a virtual world or on earth itself, then an unmissed, unknown guy. Even if the rest of the world will never know of Lyoko and Xana, you will, and you and the others will remember me, just from the fact we fought together."

He finally let go of Jeremie's hand, letting him start wrapping the bandages once again, and lapsing into silence.

Ulrich closed his eyes, and no more words were said for some time. Until, once jeremie gathered his voice, he whispered

"You're wrong."

Ulrich opened his eyes, and gazed at bespectacled warrior in front of him. The confusion wasn't evident in his face, but it was in his brown eyes.

"We would miss you. All of us would" he handed Ulrich his signature shirt "we all care for you to much to not. We don't know much about you personally Ulrich" he stiffened, but didn't interrupt "but we want to. All of us do. Yumi, Odd, Alieta, and yes, me to. We want to be close to you. We want to be your friends, we want to get as close to you as we can be." Ulrich pulled the shirt over his head, grabbed his jacket.

But Jeremie persisted, knowing full well he was probably breaking into the many personal walls Ulrich put up. He was making him uncomfortable, and he knew it. But he needed to get it through his thick skull. "We know you won't talk right now. None of us are expecting you to, and we all know better than to push it. But, we want you to get comfortable enough around us to be able to share personal things with us someday. I know it will take a while, and it may never be, but don't you ever forget this, Ulrich stern." He pointed a finger into Ulrich chest

"If you died, we would fall apart. Stunts like what you pulled today give us heart attacks, because we know you would die for us, and we get scared. We don't want to you to die protecting us Ulrich. We want you to live a happy life. I'm speaking for the whole team on this one."

Ulrich walked towards the door, and grabbed the knob. He stopped for a moment, and turned to his friend "thank you… Jeremie. I needed that." he opened the door, and started walking out, but not before calling over his shoulder

"I want to tell you guys someday too..."

**I named this, 'how far would you go' because, ask yourself. You saw Ulrich take plenty of risks during the series and almost die numerous times.**

**would you go that far so many times without concern for yourself for a world with only one good person on it?**


	4. Take A Chance

**Read and review! No flames! My disclaimers in the title! Set before Zero Gravity Zone.**

"Hey Ulrich, do you have any parents?"

Odd knew he shouldn't be asking something like that. It only made their living situation harder, due to Ulrich's well known ability to stop speaking for a few hours after being asked personal questions like that. He was crossing a line. But he was well known for his misplaced curiosity, and lately it had been interested in his shy roommate.

It was hard _not_ to be interested in someone like Ulrich. He seemed so mysterious, so strange. He was like an impenetrable wall of quiet secrets hidden in his heart and mind.

Trying to spotlight this in a question and answer session (his usual means of finding answers) made Ulrich angry at him for a month. And that wasn't a good thing, especially since he could rat to Jim at any moment that he had a dog with him, something strictly against the rules.

Not that Ulrich would ever tell anyone, he was good at keeping his word, something he'd begged from Ulrich to keep his precious pet hidden, so no matter how much he or Kiwi annoyed him, he doubted Ulrich would seriously consider going to Jim. That didn't mean he couldn't threaten it or give Odd doubts about his promise.

He knows he's underminding his common sense, but he doesn't really care.

The boy in question was quietly doing his homework, Kiwi chewing insistently on his pant leg. He doesn't look up, or even show he heard Odd's question. After feeling Odd's probing eyes on his back for a few minutes, he sighs. "Everyone does Odd."

The vagueness in the comment only made Odd all the more curious, as well as a bit irritated. "Well, if you do, why don't you talk about them?"

Ulrich went back to writing, not bothering to answer Odd's question. But he wasn't ready to give up his quest for answers.

"What do they do for a living? Do you look more like your mom or your dad?" he would have continued, until Ulrich swiveled his office chair to glare at his loud roommate.

"I don't want to talk about it." his teeth ground together so hard they grinded audibly, and his face was pinched in anger. Not at Odd, he knew, but at someone else. If Ulrich was angry with him, he'd yell, complain, or at least walk out of the room to go sulk in the forest. No, this was an aggression towards something else. Something to do with his parents…

Kiwi stopped chewing at Ulrich's pant leg, started yelping, and ran up to lay behind Odd. Neither of them had _ever_ had Ulrich take that tone of voice with them before. They'd heard it before, sure, but only against Xana or someone he was arguing with. And while he and Odd got into plenty of fights, Ulrich never got mad… just irritated.

Ulrich sighed one again, and massaged his temple. "Sorry… sorry. I had a bad day… let my temper get away with me…" he sounded defeated as he wheeled back around, not offering a more detailed explanation.

Odd couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He knew that Ulrich didn't let his temper 'get away with him' without being pushed pretty far. Was he being that intrusive to his shy companion?

Ulrich, who'd been glaring down at the homework in front of him, finally spoke "it's… hard, for me…" Odd looked up, new interest sparking in his eyes. "I'm not like you… open and more than willing to talk to people. Talking about personal stuff… it makes me feel… scared, I suppose. I get scared that someday getting close to all of you will come back to bite me… it's not that I don't trust you…. heck, I trust you all with my life, literally and figuratively, every day… I'm just not good at telling people stuff like what you're asking." He clumsily tried to find the words. Words to make odd understand. Words that explained his emotions, words that were hard to find.

For once in his life, Odd was silent as he listened to his friends admission. While he didn't understand his friend's emotions, or his reason, he could still try to help. "Well…. What's wrong with taking a chance?"

This made Ulrich turn and stare at him, confusion in his eyes.

Odd knew how to say the right things to say to Ulrich. If he wanted to, he could probably startle or smooth-talk Ulrich into telling him anything he wanted, but that wasn't how he went about things. Odd wanted Ulrich to feel comfortable enough around him to tell him his personal problems himself, in his own time. So instead of appealing Ulrich's surprised stare, he went with the truth.

"Ulrich, I want you to trust me…" he shook his head, smiling "no, that's not right… I know you trust me. You've put your life in my hands enough times for me to know you trust me, and I've done the same. It's just… it's not easy, to not ask you these things Ulrich. Everyone, me, Aleita, Jeremie, and Yumi, we all want to get to know you. And it's not exactly easy. You trust us, but you don't confide in us. It makes us so confused sometimes… how you act. You'd take lethal blows for us… have taken lethal blows for us, but when we ask you a personal questions, you run away…. It hurts us."

During his speech, Ulrich had one again twisted the chair around, legs dangling from either side, listening to his friend "I'm not asking you to open up. I'm not asking you to tell me your life story. Just… take a chance, someday… When you finally get comfortable to tell us, start with me. I want to be your best pal Ulrich; I want to know everything about you. I know you probably feel like I'm being selfish, and maybe I am, but… give me a chance?"

Ulrich closed his head and slowly breathed out. Not a sigh, just a long breath. His voice was small, soft, and almost… scared? "…Okay"

Odd jumped "huh?" he sounded stupid, but he'd expected Ulrich to go running out the door. he moved closer to hear even better.

"I'll… try. My family is full of lawyers, and they all want things form me i can't do…."

**Yes, I'm ending it there. I want you all to think of your own conversation. Review!**


	5. Sick As A Dog

**Review! My disclaimer's in the title! Don't like, don't flame me. Stop reading if you don't like it.**

Ulrich groaned as his alarm clock went off, doubling the intensity of his migraine. Sitting up, he doubled over with nausea, knowing from personal experience with his Vertigo what to do to keep himself from puking all over his blankets and clothes.

Normally, when he became dizzy like this, he automatically thought it was his vertigo. But vertigo didn't give someone migraines, and he hadn't scaled anything lately.

Great. That only left one option. He was sick.

He slowly stood up, fighting dizziness, and got dressed, not rushing even though he could be late, going fast made it worst, something he knew all too well. He'd have to tuff it out, if he went to the nurse all day. He wouldn't be very useful to his friends if he was laying on a bed all day, no matter how good it sounded to him.

Walking over to Odd's side of the room, the world seemed to tilt on his axis, making him grab a nearby wall to steady himself and swallow heavily. No sleep, coupled with the fact he was sick and had school today led Ulrich to the conclusion that it would have been a great day to go into a coma.

Grabbing his pillow, Ulrich threw it with all the force he could muster at where he guessed his roommates face was from the position under the blanket the lump had taken. Startled awake, Odd's first words were "come'on, five more minutes!" he pleaded, not even bothering to take the blanket off his face.

"exactly." He informed him wearily "we've got five minutes until first period starts."

Odd was awake quicker than a lightning bolt. In two seconds he was dressed and running out the door, probably hoping to get some breakfast before he had to leave for first period.

Ulrich, not wanting to tempt fate or his gag reflex, grabbed his things and walked as fast as possible to class. He wearily fell into his seat, placing his head and his hands onto the cooler surface of his desk.

He absolutely hated it when he got sick. It wasn't often when it happened, but when the flu bug hit him, it hit him hard.

His throat burned, his head was pounding, his stomach and chest were aching, and he probably shouldn't eat anything lest he ruin someone's shoes. All the ingredients for a _lovely_ day.

"Are you okay?"

He opened his dark eyes and blurrily sees someone next to him. After focusing a moment, Ulrich made out Odd's signature purple outfit. "You look pretty pale buddy." He sounded worried "are you feeling alright?"

Ulrich nodded, head pounding with every movement "I'm fine." A lie, but what else could he say? 'no, I'm sick?' he'd be karted off to the nurses office.

Odd looked unconvinced, but let him be.

It wasn't until gym someone finally called him out on his illness. While able to hide his sickness from teachers and his friends, gym was impossible for him to do. Especially when Jim announced that they were supposed to do the mile run.

One again that day, Ulrich wished he was in a coma, or perhaps in the virtual sea.

He had to give Jeremie his props though. There was no sneaking anything by the young genius. He took one look at Ulrich's pale, cold-sweat covered face, and said.

"Go to the nurse." Plain and simple. No questions, no uncertain looks, just a command.

"Why" he panted "should I?"

Jeremie gave a disgusted sigh "Ulrich, you're as sick as a dog. _GO_." He gave a pointed look towards the bathroom where Odd was located "or I'll have to tell him."

"I have to finish the school day." Ulrich couldn't help but feel the karma in the fact he was defending something he hated.

Jeremie raised an eyebrow "you aren't going to make this any easier for me, are you?"

Ulrich raised an eyebrow in turn, to out of it to understand what his friend was implying. Had he been completely lucid, he was sure he'd know what was about to occur, but at the moment his pounding head and nausea had taken his toll on him.

Jeremie walked up to Jim and had a short conversation with him, before whispering in the newly appeared Odd's ear, whom gave a nod.

Before he could get his weary mind to process what was going on, Odd and Jeremie had securely grabbed Ulrich's arms and effectively dragged him to the nurse's office.

The nurse took one look at the three boys who'd entered her office, Odd and Jeremie both trying to keep a sick but still fighting Ulrich still and steady and asked "did he get hit by another soccer ball." Jeremie winced. They used that excuse whenever Ulrich had been knocked unconscious and needed medical attention. He silently vowed to come up with a new excuse as soon as he got the chance.

"No, he has a fever" Odd corrected the woman "I mean, just look at him." He gestured to a pale and shivering Ulrich, who'd finally given up and was no practically dead weight in his arms "has Ulrich ever consciously come to the nurse's office, willingly or not?"

She raised an eyebrow, but stuck a thermometer into Ulrich's mouth anyway. Two minutes and a scolding from the nurse later, Odd and Jeremie grinned and waved goodbye to Ulrich, proud to have finally gotten him some help, especially considering he was the strongest of the group and hardest to make Ulrich do anything he didn't want to do.

Ulrich, who was stuck lying down with a blanket draped over him, gave the closest to a glare he could muster, before turning over and fell asleep.

He'd get them back later, or maybe he'd get them an apology gift if he got them sick. Until then, he only wanted to sleep.

**Read and review! I couldn't see Ulrich going to the nurse if he got sick without being forced to, so I wrote this. no flames!**


	6. First Meetings

**My disclaimers in the title. Read and review! No flames! pre-Xana awakens. This is how Ulrich and Jeremie met.**

Jeremie didn't see Ulrich most of the first day he'd come to Kadiac. They had all the same classes, sure, but he hadn't been trained to search him out in a crowd, to find him amongst others. He hadn't even realized there was a new student until the math teacher, Mr. Harlow, had finally told the entire class.

"It seems we have a new student here. Please, stand up and tell us about yourself."

His head had shot up from the computer he was working on to glance around the room, having never even noticed a new person in the room. The entire room turned on its axis, as though no one had even realized a new member in its midst's.

Jeremie couldn't remember for the life of him what he'd expected when a boy of normal height stood up with lean muscles, scruffy brown hair, and dark eyes.

He didn't look anyone in the eye, and instead spoke to the wall in the front of the room. "My name is Ulrich Stern, and I'm from Germany." He quickly sat down, as though the attention was scaring him.

Mr. Harlow's eyebrows knitted together "would you mind telling us more? Perhaps about your family, or a past vacation. Anything?"

"No sir, I'm good."

The newly named Ulrich had slunk further down in his seat, obviously not liking all the stares he was gaining. Mr. Harlow quickly got the class back in order, but Jeremie couldn't help but look at the new student a little longer.

He seemed so strange. He hardly seemed to be a smart person like him, he seemed more to have the body of an athlete. He hardly looked anyone in the eye, but Jeremie got the feeling that it was more of an instinct than shyness.

Class passed by as usual, and Jeremie had just left for lunch when he, not paying attention to his surroundings, bumped into someone, his glasses flying as he heard the familiar noise of books and papers falling.

"Watch it!" he yelled at the blur in front of him as he bent down to look for his missing glasses.

The blur leaned down as well, and finally held something out to him after a few minutes of moving back on forth "here."

Knowing the voice and unable to place it, Jeremie cleaned his glasses on his shirt a moment and put them on to see… Ulrich.

He seemed to not care about the fact he'd just been yelled at, and instead bent down once again to gather up the papers and books he'd dropped when they collided.

"Uh, here" he dropped down to one knee "let me help."

"Thanks."

"You're knew here right?" he knew the answer, but asked anyway, having nothing to say to the taller boy leaning next to him "I have a class with you, math."

"funny." His voice wasn't bitter, but seemed to hold distaste anyway "I've seen you in everyone of my classes I've had today. I guess you just didn't see me."

"Oh. Sorry."

He grabbed all of his books from Jeremie's hands "no problem." Before walking away, and Jeremie couldn't help but feel that he wasn't actually mad, and that was how he always was.

He felt slightly guilty for not noticing him in his other classes, but in the end, it didn't matter, did it? After all, with an attitude like that, they'd never be friends.

If only he'd known. He'd been a major fool, but never again.

**Short, I know, but I've seen shorter. Read and review! No flames! Don't like, click the back button, that's what it's there for.**


	7. Tears and Fathers

**No flames! My disclaimers in the title. Possibly O.C. also, check out the fanfiction writer 'yoru no sakka' when you can! They have some pretty good fanfics, and from what I've heard, they will soon be coming out with more. Give them some support and follows guys/gals!**

**Summary: after a bad argument with his father, Ulrich goes into the forest to do something he hadn't done in years, have a good cry. While doing so, he couldn't help but miss the comfort of his friends. **

Ulrich hadn't felt this close to crying in a long time.

He stalked through his forest, not even bothering to choose a destination for himself, knowing his instincts will guide him where he pleased. His head is down, hands shoved in pockets, teeth gritted, and eyes closed as he breathed heavily. In anger, from buildup of tears, Ulrich is unsure which, but doesn't bother pondering it for long.

Right now all he wants is to find some place to cry, someplace quiet and hopefully isolated.

Ulrich had never been one to try to keep tears down like most boys his age. Crying just didn't come to him often, but when it did he knew better than to try to hold it in. it led to an extremely messy breakdown, and he had never been one to dwell on his emotions long. Today was an exception.

'_I wish you weren't my son!'_

He knew it was only anger that fueled those words, that they were false, but that didn't make them hurt any less. He could take the words from others, from people he hardly knew and those he knew well enough without problem… but now his own_ father_ was against him.

_Well_, he thought bitterly and he leaned against a tree trunk before slowly sinking down until he was sitting with his knees bent, it was about time he admitted to himself. This had been a long time coming. They were too alike, too different.

Yin and yang, different in every way, yet the same being.

They'd tried, they really had, you could give them that much. He gave his best shot at his grades, studying for hours on end, hardly eating or sleeping, practically destroying his health to get understand the work given to him. And his father had tried his hardest to be supportive, tried to help him understand his work, and failed. They both had.

He crossed his arms on his knees, bringing them to his forehead as the tears flowed silently down his face. There no noise, no change in demeanor, just the warm trek sliding down his face onto the ground. The wind blows through the woods, shaking leaves from the trees and moving his hair across his wet face.

That's why he moved to Kadiac in the first place. They both agreed the move would help on their relationship, or at least that's what they believed. It had only brought things to their breaking point.

_'I hate you! Why do you have to be my dad!? I wish you'd just leave me alone!'_

A strange longing panged deep in his heart, and he frowned. He missed his friends; he wanted to be around them right now. Jeremie with his scientific blather he couldn't possibly hope to understand, Odd and his bad jokes, Aletia and her cheerfulness, and Yumi, the girl he had a crush on.

For some reason, he wanted to lean on them in his pitiful state.

He'd never felt the need to lean on someone before he met them. He never had many friends growing up, so he had always been independent from his parents. His mother had always been way too busy to even talk to him often, and he never went to his father without a good legal reason. But he'd never felt the legitimate need to talk to someone about his problems.

_'That's it, I'm done. We've gone through this cycle before Ulrich, it gets us nowhere. Until you can make up your grades, or at least get a better attitude, I don't want you in my home. I will send you you're things, and you will live at Kadiac even during the breaks. I'm sorry son, but neither of us can take this anymore.'_

They were both too stubborn, to hot-headed. Neither would admit they were wrong until the day they died.

He gave a small-gasping chuckle at the thought of going to his friends. Was he that desperate? He was only just learning what was safe ground around his companions, and to bring up something like this…

Aleita would pity him, Jeremie would scold him, Odd would make him the butt of his jokes, and yumi… he never really knew what Yumi was going to do from one moment to the next.

So why did all of that sound alright? Why did he want to go and deal with all of that?

His tears slowly, dried, and he finally lifted his head out of his arms. Using his jacket, he wiped the wet from his face and uncurled himself, hearing a _snap_ here and there from cracking arms and legs, stiff from sitting in one position to long.

Looking up, Ulrich couldn't help but notice it was actually a beautiful night. The stars were bright and shining as silent beacons of light to guide himself home with, the trees blew almost serenely in the breeze that overtook the forest, and the crickets chirped joyfully. Even now, even with all that had happened, the forest was still something he loved to look at.

_Home_. He'd never considered Germany his home, even before now. He'd never had one until he came to kadiac. And then he meet the gang, the only people he had ever met that were willing to deal with his inability to talk about anything personal lest a life or death situation, the only people willing to patient wait until he was ready to tell them about himself, asking but never prying.

As though on cue, his phone rang. He gathered himself the best she could before digging it out of his pocket and flipping it open, placing it by his ear, not checking the contacts. The only ones on his phone were the gangs and his fathers, and he doubted the lather would be talking to him for a long time.

"Ulrich?" he recognized Yumi's voice and smiled slightly. Even after running off after going to talk to his father like he had, they still worried about him.

That's more than he'd ever gotten before.

"I'm here." He tries not to sound like he'd been sobbing lately, but he knows Yumi hears the differene in his voice. He pulls the phone away a moment to take a gasping breath, before placing the speaker back to his ear, not very surprised she heard that as well.

"Ulrich, are you okay? You just ran off earlier…. We've been worried sick, where are you?" she pauses a moment, before finally sighing "the forest… why didn't I think of that sooner?"

He ignores the statement, instead apologizing "sorry, I just needed to be left alone for a while."

"…." There's no answer on her end, and Ulrich fears she's hung up to track him down herself. If she put her mind to it, she could find him in half an hour at worst.

"Yumi?"

"Ulrich…" he voice is soft, and almost… surprised "have you been crying?"

Cursing himself internally for being so obvious, but never being one to lie without good reason, he answered "you could say that."

Before she could question further, he sighed "look, I'll be back in an hour, alright? I'll see you then."

"wait Ul-" he hung up, finding himself unable to talk to her.

He stood up, and slowly started his walk back to the dorms, knowing full well that Yumi would probably end up telling the others and he'd walk in to a full room full of questions.

But he couldn't find it in him to mind tonight. Tonight, he might even tell them all he was going through. He'd find out then, this was now, and he was going to take his time.

**Review! I'm thinking of making a sequel of some kind, so ideas would be welcome! If you don't want me to, just tell me.**

**I always wondered how Ulrich would be when he cried, so I wrote this.**


	8. Forever Together After The War And Pain

**I started this literally at midnight, so I should warn you that it's probably going to be bad.**

**DISCLAIMER I won NOTHING! Don't like, don't read, and yadda yadda yadda. Just get on reading!**

Even after all these years, they still couldn't handle being apart.

Years after X.A.N.A. had been permanently unplugged, they still lived together. They had all changed, yet they were still the same.

Jeremie's hacking abilities had only gotten stronger, and while he wasn't physically strong like the others, a simple brush of the key could easily make a nuclear missile of the governments land wherever he wished and start another war. He had the world at his keytips, and he was so powerful they couldn't even get rid of him when he refused to be recruited.

No longer able to use her controls on the battle field like she used to, Aelita had instead taken up self-defense as a habit. Soon she was quite able to take down anyone, no matter what size or age, with her pinky finger. She taught her own classes, helping others gain the strength she now possessed, feeling that everyone should be given a chance to be stronger.

Yumi had become a Politian, fighting for the rights of those who needed it unlike those who did it for personal gain. She soon found that political battles were much harder than physical fight, but she soon realized she had the advantage of having fought a real fight to know just how to win battles.

Ulrich had become even more paranoid and quiet, making sure to keep a small katana with him at all times, no matter where he went. No one noticed that he had two katana's strapped to his back whenever he went through any airport. The others had long gotten used to brushing up against metal whenever they bumped into him. He had gotten part-time job's pretty much everywhere, but mostly it was places of employment in the slums, like a Chinese butcher shop in New York.

Odd had surprisingly become a writer. His imagination and creativity had made him not only a great writer as well as an artist. He wrote there story, changed names and symbols, and published it to the whole world, after gaining their permission. It had been a big hit, and he had soon become a millionaire. After splitting the cash amongst the other warriors, they soon found themselves living together in a small house in Paris.

They couldn't manage to stay apart long. They had tired, really tried hard. They'd all gone back to their own countries and tried to live normal lives. But they soon found themselves in over the computer conversations deep into the night, telling each other the details of their day, how things had went and how things were going. There cells were on constantly as they chatted back and forth, and they'd all ended up being sent back to Kadiac because they wouldn't focus on the teacher and instead focused on talking to each other.

After they'd become rich, they hadn't changed. Many people in their situation's had become self-centered or self-important, but they hadn't changed at all. They could easily give the money to a homeless person down the street or burn it. It was paper to them, it wasn't important. They had beaten things greater than businessmen with no money.

They'd married. Jeremie to Aelita, Ulrich to Yumi. Odd had never wanted to marry. Even then, they hadn't wanted to separate and live their own lives. They didn't want to have sex, they didn't want children. None of them would have made good parents. It was strange, yet they never felt the need to act truly like couples.

So, in the end, they would never be pried apart. If one died, they'd wait, if one got ill, they'd watch, and if one wanted to leave, they'd let them, but something told them it'd be like losing a piece of their heart.

It sounded cheesily romantic. They'd stay together until the end of time, no matter what. Yet it wasn't romantic, it wasn't friendly, it was them. They'd never explain, they'd never try.

They were together, and they were glued together with the bonds of time and the pain of war.

**It's a short drabble of how I think they ended up after X.A.N.A was shut down. It's the middle of the night, so it wouldn't surprise me if this sucks. I'll probably fix it later, oh well. REVIEW!**

**I guess this could count as a strange version of JeremiexUlrichxYumixOddxAelita if you're the type of person to look for romance pretty much everywhere. I'm not sure where it came from.**


	9. Phone call

**Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko.**

**Setting: after 'final round'**

**Summary: 'Jeremie didn't do a return the past before Lyoko was destroyed, leaving Ulrich in a tight spot. He wants to comfort as well as grieve with Aelita and the others, but at the same time he knows he has to call his father and finish the argument he'd started.'**

**…**

**…**

**…**

Ulrich tried to think of an excuse to leave while sitting next to Aelita in Jeremie's room while he was trying to work his way through the code while everyone watched, but he couldn't come up with anything.

But he knew that if he didn't go soon things would get even messier than it already was. His father was a stubborn man, and it wouldn't surprise him if he was still sitting in that office chair, stiff with a pinched face, but realistically he knew he was being paranoid and that it was more likely that he had left not moments after he had. He'd never been a patient man, just like he himself.

He glanced around him. Yumi had an arm wrapped around Aelita, Jeremie was on the computer, typing things out, and he and Odd were sitting on the floor, he cross-legged and Odd lounging on his legs and elbows. It almost felt natural for them to sit around like this.

He leans closer to the blond, careful not to move so close as to look intimate or be noticeable. "Odd, I need you to cover me." He knew Odd would understand, but that didn't mean he'd help. It wouldn't really surprise him if he blurted out where he was going as soon as he left the room. "It's important."

"Where ya goin?" he turned to look at him, surprise written across his face. Ulrich had never been one to run off during a group meeting without good reason, and he'd even skipped out earlier at the skateboarding tournament for reasons he still hadn't explained.

Ulrich glanced at the others around him a moment, before looking back "it's _personal,_ alright?"

Getting the hint, Odd let a small 'oh' escape his open mouth before cringing, knowing full well that the noise would have caught the attention of the others in the room, and that meant Ulrich was going to make him pay later.

Yumi glanced there way, taking in the way Ulrich looked ready to run out the room and how Odd looked slightly amused as well as miffed with himself for getting them caught, and was automatically suspicious. "What is it?" it was a well known agreement in the team that when the two dorks were together and quiet that they were either planning something or needed the other to cover themselves because they needed to disappear for a few hours, and that it should be investigated when it occurred.

Her question gains the attention of the others, causing Ulrich to take a moment to glare at Odd, who gives him a playful smile, before awkwardly standing up, not liking the extra attention one bit "I'm really sorry, but I need to go…" he starts to exit, and was almost hopeful they wouldn't ask, but, alas, he was wrong.

"Go where?" it was surprisingly Aelita who asked. She was tired, weary, and sad with the combination with the day's events as well as the fact there was a distinct possibility that her father was dead. She couldn't be nice at a time like this "what could be so important that you have to run off at a time like this!?"

Ulrich sighed, and ran his hand through his hair, thinking over his options. Any other day he'd have left by now, leaving them all angry and confused (minus Odd of course) but today was not one of those days. Too much had happened today for him to just brush them off about something as trivial as this.

Finally, he muttered "you're not the only one with family troubles, okay?" a small intake of breath went through the air. It was a rare thing when Ulrich's family was even mentioned around him, let alone he be the one to bring them up. Even so, part of him was strangely irritated that everyone in the room was looking like he'd casually told them he was a convict or something that surprising.

Coughing awkwardly, Ulrich turned away once again and spoke "I'll be back in a few hours, alright?"

"What happened?" Yumi asked, voice soft.

"It's not impor-"

"Ulrich." He turned back. Everyone was staring at him. What was there to say? 'We got into an argument because he called you bad influences?' He wasn't sure how they'd react to something like that, let alone say it aloud.

"We… got into an argument." He explained, shoving his hands as deep as they could go into his pockets. "I have to call him."

Yumi waved around the room "you can call him in here."

"but-" he tried to protest, and was once again cut off with his name being spoken.

He sighed, and shoved his hand around in his jeans a moment before pulling out his phone and hitting the speed-dial button and raising it to his ear. It answered in two rings "stern residence."

"Hey dad." He sighed.

**Review! Was it good? Crappy? You tell me!**


	10. Letdowns And Great Friends

**Notes: lately, I've been interested in Ulrich and his dad's relationship. Well, more of the fact there wasn't much of a relationship other than his dad yelling at him and Ulrich sitting there disgusted and putting in his two cents every few minutes. You only see him three or four times in the show, but you always get the vibe that they really don't like each other. So I made a small drabble about what happened after one of those few times! **

**Setting: after the soccer ball game at the end of 'Zero Gravity Zone' (the episode you first meet Ulrich's dad.)'**

**Summary: 'after the soccer game, the gang gets and upclose look at just how rocky Ulrich's relationship with his family truly is.'**

**Warnings: the usual. I'm not good at explained soccer stuff, so I just cut the whole thing out. Sorry.**

**Disclaimer: haven't we already established the fact I don't own the show!?**

**..**

**..**

**..**

Cheers erupted from the stands as the final score was counted, but no one cheered louder than the trio of Yumi, Jeremie, and Odd.

Kadiac won, thanks to a certain Ulrich Stern.

The team gathered together, giving each other slaps on the back and high fives as they celebrated their victory, but Ulrich hung back. He wasn't here for them, he wasn't even here because he wanted to win. He was here for his dad, and he desperately hoped he'd finally done something that'd make him proud. He wanted to hear him say it again, to say he was proud of him.

It was the first, and probably last, time he'd ever heard that from him.

Jeremie went to stand and congratulate the boy, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Odd shook his head, then glanced pointedly at the couple going over to talk to him. Getting the point to stay back and listen, he settled back, Yumi next to him.

His mom walked right over to him and hugged him, congratulating him on his victory and Ulrich awkwardly returned the hug.

His dad walked over to him, stiff and straight, his face still as tight as ever. He gave a small nod, and Ulrich's entire posture went limp as he smiled at the gang, whom were watching from the sidelines. OIdd gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up, Yumi smiled back, and Jeremie nodded in turn.

"Good job. Now, if only you could make your grades as good as the way you play, you might actually get to the next grade." Ulrich's smile automatically shifted back to his signature frown. He closed his eyes and gave a little sigh. He should have guessed this would have happened.

He turned, and walked away.

His mom whispered an apology into his ear before she followed.

Ulrich turned and walked away, his shoulder slumped.

Yumi, Jeremie and Odd glanced at each other, before Odd nodded. They stood up and quickly followed him.

Odd caught up to him first, and firmly wrapped a supportive arm around his shoulder "you did great Ulrich, don't let him fool you."

Jeremie walked behind him, putting in his two cents "yeah, they didn't stand a chance!"

Yumi grabbed his left hand and squeezed in agreement. Ulrich felt a small smile twitch across his lips. Even after all he had done today and how he had ditched them earlier to go play for him, they still were trying to make him feel better. He couldn't have asked for better friends.

He turned to look at them all a moment "thanks you guys."

**Yup, two father-son fics in one night. I'm on fire! I know it's really short, but I don't mind it. that's why there called drabbles, right?**


	11. A Night At The Factory

**'After a bad battle with X.A.N.A, no one really wants to go home.' No flames! Don't like don't read! In this one there was no return the past, so there all a little bruised and such.**

**Do I look like I own code lyoko? No, of course not.**

This wasn't the first time this had occurred, Ulrich thought, watching everyone from what they liked to call his 'moping corner'.

Everyone was dawdling. No one was willing to go back to their dorms to be alone. So they were hesitating, waiting for someone to suggest a sleepover that would be shot down anyway, but it was still something they all wanted to at least be noticed aloud. They'd had a rough day, they'd all pretty much played punching bag for someone or something at least once, and they'd all almost died. Not counting all the homework and things they were going to have to beg Jeremie to help them with later, they were at the lowest part of their day. They all wanted company (or more company than Odd for himself, Ulrich corrected, reminding himself he got company no matter what time of day. Even if he really didn't want it.)

Ulrich himself wasn't very inclined to go back either. He was quite comfortable from where he was sitting, and really didn't feel like explaining to Jim or the nurse why he had a black eye or Jeremie's cut up face or why Odd was limping, let alone the fact they'd be coming back with some ripped clothes from an unexpected attack of some industrial equipment.

He'd take sleeping on the cold steel floor with his jacket underneath him over the alternative anyday.

He sighed and slumped over in the corner, not really caring that his vulnerable neck was in view of the people nearby. He trusted them, even if they were only a literal floor above a psycho machine bent on world domination that could attack out of nowhere. It was as safe here as it was at the school. At least here they could stop the trouble before it went on the attack.

Odd joined him, sitting criss-cross as he awkwardly put his hands in his lap. It was one of those days even Odd was quiet, and it was days like that they didn't like.

It wasn't the first time they hadn't wanted to leave. It had never felt right to just go home after fighting an evil computer and sit down to dinner with oblivious people or go to a cafeteria full of people who would never understand and act like they weren't fighting a war without getting any help from anyone else, then take a shower and go lay on their dorm bed all night like it was a normal night for normal people. It just didn't feel right. They were sacrificing themselves, sticking themselves on the slaughter board for the world daily, and it was hard for them to forget the fact that there was a very low chance they'd survive long enough for X.A.N.A to be shut off.

Jeremie plopped down against the steel wall opposite of them, and fiddled with something on his laptop. What, Ulrich didn't know, and he also knew that he couldn't understand whatever it was even if he tried. He was just too smart for him. Aelita took place next to him, speaking in shushed whispers as they tried to program something into the small laptop in his hands.

Yumi plopped down in a corner, her entire posture screaming death for anyone who dared tried to talk her out of her funk. Today was one of those days that she had to interrupt and argument with her parents to get away, which meant she herself got into an argument with them on the way out, which made it ten times worse for her. Even Ulrich didn't dare go around her at a time like this.

Seeing that no one was going to mention anything and instead stare at each other all night, Ulrich knew he was going to have to get this moving. He was the least hurt of the group, as well as the one who knew the best shortcuts in and out of Kadiac as well as being well equipped to sneak through the forest he spent so much time in.

Giving a soft sigh at how shy everyone was being (even to his tastes, and that was something. Usually he was the one they had to prod to do something, not the other way around. But that didn't mean he couldn't when he had to) he stood up and walked towards the exits, calling back "I'll get the sleeping bags."

A few minutes later, after running to Kadiac and sneaking in and bragging some sleeping bags, and running back, walking the last few feet so he didn't look like he was as tired as he felt.

Plopping everything down, he quickly grabbed his own and sneaking off towards his corner once again. The job was done, he'd done his part to keep everyone together for the evening, and he wasn't feeling ready to tempt his nature again that night.

Everyone grabbed their own bags and went back to their own areas, Odd using his as a makeshift log seat, Jeremie and Aelita laying there's out so as to cushion their own seats, and Yumi pushed hers to the side, while Ulrich laid his out and curled up on his side, only to find his green jacket (that he had left behind) misplaced.

Not particularly worried about its whereabouts- he could always find it in the morning- he did a quick scan of the room to see if the others had taken it.

Glancing at Odd (he wouldn't be surprised if the cat had taken it to dye it a strange color, because he knew he'd wear the thing anyway, because it was his favorite, but not before it got stained red) he found him snickering and pointing to the corner.

Looking over at Yumi, he found himself dumfounded at the sight of Yumi sitting with her arms crossed over her knees, head turned away, and jacket on.

He knew that Yumi had liked his jacket. It was always warm from him wearing it, it was a darker color (although not dark enough for her tastes), and it was thin. And she'd certainly joked here and there about taking it from him (they all had at least once) but he'd never expected her to act on it.

She whipped her head around and gave him a glare, defensive yet slightly playful, silently asking him what he was going to do about it.

He laid back down. He could always get it back in the morning, hopefully Yumi would take it off of her before she fell asleep so he could sneak it away.

He certainly was going to try and take it from her.

**I might do a sequel, I don't know, thoughts, opinions, anything?**


	12. Traveling Away From Everything

**Disclaimer: I don't own lyoko, yadda yadda yadda. I'm not Moonscoop okay!**

**Warnings: slightly O.C.C, the usual mixture of stuff you get from me.**

**Summary: 'let's face it, we haven't been normal for years. So why should we have to act like something we're not anymore?"**

**Plot: the others can't live life like normal adults, getting jobs, marrying and moving away and having kids with a perfect picket fence. They've seen and done too much. So, after saving up money, they choose to become wanderers at the age of eighteen and nineteen (respectively). As long as they have each other, they don't care where they finally end up.**

**(1)= Avignon is a small town in France. **

**…**

**…**

**…**

The night was quiet as two eighteen year old boys, one with messy brown hair and dark eyes, the others blond with a purple triangle of random color and brown eyes, walked up the street of France to the train station. Both had string backpacks on, Ulrich slinging his on one shoulder while Odd kept his on its side like a strange messenger bag. The streetlights illuminated their path and gave the few moving creatures on the street an eerily glow.

Odd finally looked at Ulrich "are you ready for this?"

"Are you?"

"No." the blond admitted, but never once stopped walking "but I don't want to stop."

"Same here."

He came to a sudden halt, and Ulrich stopped a few feet ahead of him "Ulrich…" he hesitated a moment "did you ever expect for any of this to happen?"

He snorted quietly "for what to happen? To find the supercomputer? To be virtualized over and over again to fight a demonic artificial intelligence bent on taking over the world and killing princess?" his voice got quieter "that I'd make friends like you guys? No, I don't think any of us did."

Ulrich shuffled around in his pockets- they were as baggy as ever- until finding his mobile and checking the time. Two in the morning.

They started walking until they reached the door of the train station; they quickly and quietly entered and found their seats for the people waiting for the early train. Jeremie soon came up beside them and sat down, pushing his glasses up so they didn't slide down his nose as he did so. He commented "you're early."

"So are you, Einstein." The nickname hadn't ever worn off, even after all these years.

"I feel like the late party." Aelita commented as she walked up, and Odd and Ulrich quickly scooted away so she could sit next to Jeremie. There promise rings hung from thin strings from the lovebirds necks. So much had changed; so much had matured, like their love and friendship.

"So… we finally did it." Jeremie commented "we left home. We're going to get on that train and just disappear-"

"Don't be overdramatic. We're not disappearing, we're going to Avignon (1)."

"To meet up with Yumi, and look around a few weeks. Then what? Where will we go then?"

"Isn't that the point?" Odd joined in, leaning over to get a better look of the nerds face "we're not supposed to know. That's how this thing works, right?"

"But what about if it doesn't work?"

"Then we go home."

Jeremie looked doubtful "Could we? I mean, with no education and the fact we're just dropping off the planet, would your parents take you back in?"

Odd smiled "of course!"

Ulrich leaned back and crossed his arms to cushion his neck "not me. Not going back."

Aelita curled into Jeremies shoulder "I'm at home right now, with all of you."

Jeremie sighed "I still say we should have gone through collage before we did this."

"I'm not smart enough to get through collage." Ulrich grunted, looking away.

"That's not tru-"

"Besides, what kind of job could I possibly take? You and Aelita could have been famous computer geniuses, Odd could become an artist and make millions, Yumi could become practically anything, but I can't think of anything I'd like to do when I got out of college. Besides, we can always save up our money and take the classes online."

It was quiet for a full minute, before Jeremie finally spoke "I used to want to be a computer genius, to create something amazing and get everyone's attention and make me famous and happy. I still want to, to a certain extent. But now, whenever I think about creating something new or amazing, I keep wondering if it'd become the new Xana. Deadly, dangerous, something that would be locked away and eventually become someone else's struggle…"

"Besides" Odd tried to lighten the tension "most artists don't get any respect until there _waay_ dead, so I'll just sneak some sketches into places here and there for people to find with my signature on them."

The sound of the train whisking down the tracks sounded in their ears, and the intercom called for any passengers taking the five o clock train to Avignon. Three hours had passed. Three hours that would someday be considered there day of beginnings and goodbyes.

"Well, last chance Einstien. Do we leave or do we stay?" Odd asked.

Jeremie stood the others following suit. "If we don't, we won't see each other much anymore."

"What do you mean?" Aelita asked.

"Soon, we'll be going to college. I would do it online, Odd will get sent off to an art school, you and I will get sent to Harvard, and Ulrich will get sent to a small boarding school far away from Kadiac. It's hard enough to keep in touch with Yumi, but if we all separate, we'll probably lose contact with each other."

"We couldn't just stop talking to each other." Odd broke in "we can't… it just... couldn't happen."

"And what about peer pressure? Statistics say most people in highschool eventually lose track of each other, and what then? Everyone would want us to still be normal. Everyone is expecting us to get married, have kids, have a small house and stable job. Or they expect the opposite. Abusive families filled with drugs, divorces, and no job in a cruddy house. We aren't either of those, and it just isn't us to settle down like that."

"Let's face it, we haven't been normal for years" Ulrich grunted, adjusting his pack "why should we act like something we're not?"

The decision made, they started walking towards the door. Ulrich flipped open his mobile and clicked on Yumi's contact to call.

"New cell?" he pointed at the newer device.

"Burner phone. I can't have dad try and track us down and send us to jail or something crazy like that."

Jeremie smiled.

"No, I don't think any of us what to be tracked down now."

They all grabbed hands like they had so many times before, and walked towards the uncertainty of the future with their heads held high and there scars bared for the world to see.


End file.
